Treatment of emulsion-oils.



-10 be fully 20 furic acid to U N l 1 ED STATES PATEN T OFFICE. RANT 31S M. ROGERS, OE WH ITING, INDIAIVA, ASSIGNOR T STATIDARD OIL COMPANY, I

OI WHITIIN'G, A CORPORATION OF TREATMENT OF EMULSION OILS.

He Drawing.

'- To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. Rooms, a citizen of the United States, residing at Whiting, in the county of Lake and State of 5 Indiana, have invented a new and useful Treatment of Emulsion-Oils, of which the following is a specification. Q

My invention relates to the treatment of emulsions of mineral oil and water and will understood from the following specification.

I have discovered that it is possible to break down practically all of the emulsions commonly encountered in the petroleum industry by the use of a reagent comprising a water-soluble salt of sulfonic acid. Sulfonic acids suitable for this use are now produced in considerable quantities in the treatment of high viscosity oils with fuming sulroduce lubricants ofthe best grade, and a so in the roduction of the highly refined oils used or medicinal pur poses. I prefer to employ the sodium salt of such a sulfonic acid, which may be obtained by the direct neutralization of the acid with commercial sodium carbonate (normal).

In treating an oil. emulsion according to my invention the same is mixed with om A: to-four pounds (per barrel of emulsion) of the sodium sulfonate referred to above, the

sulfonate being conveniently introduced in the form of a 25% aqueous solution giving about i; to four er cent. (by volume) of the solution with re erence to the emulsion. The

85 emulsion to which the sodium sulfonate has been added is heated to a moderately high temperature, for example, 150 F., and maintained at this temperature until the Stratification has taken place. The quantity of sodium sulfonate required, the temperature of the treatment, and the length of time requir ed for stratification orbreaking of the Specification of Letters Patent.

sulfonic acid obtained by sulfonating min- Patented Apr. 1, 1919. Application filed January 26, me. Serial No. 214,913.

eral oil. The temperature is raised to 150 F.

and maintained at this point for a period of one hour, at the end of which time the bottom settlings or emulsionis found to be perfectly Stratified into an upper layer substantially free of water and. dirt and a lower layer substantially free of oil.

The reagent of my invention is regarded as superior to'the reagents heretofore su gested for this purpose in that it is relative y cheap, and is so owerful as to be effective in relatively sma-l proportions and is more uniformly successful on all varieties of emul sions, glving a maximum oil recovery at a minimum expense for treatment.

It should be noted that it is unnecessary to employ a pure sulfonate, the oil, water and sulfurlc acid or salt thereof which may be present doing no harm.

While I have referred ployed by reagent, it should not be inferred that I attribute the efi'ect obtained to any chemical activity. On the contrary, I believethat it is more likely that the breaking of the emulsion is due to the change in the surface tension of the liquid effected by the addition of the sulfonate. It should be understood,

'of limitation in the appended claims, in

emulsion are all factors which 'vary with the characteristics of the particular emulsion 45 under treatment. As a specific example, the

following may be given. An emulsion of the character known as bottom setthngs from mid-continent crude petroleum and containing a proximately fifty per cent. of' water,

60 toget er with. a large proportion of earthy and organic sediment, has added thereto two per cent. (by volume) of a 25 per cent. soluwhich it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as is.

permissible inviewof the prior art.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of treating emulsions of mineral oil and water which consists in adding thereto a water-soluble salt ofl'sulfonic to the product em-- me for breaklng emulsions as a :ac1d and maintaining the mixture at an elevated temperature until Stratification takes place.

2. The method of treating emulsions of tion of sodium sulfonate, produced by the mineral oil and water which consists in addcarbonate of the neutralization with sodium ing thereto an alkali metal salt of sulfonic acid and maintaining the mixture at an eleplace.

3. The method of treating emulsions of mineral oil and water which consists in adding thereto the sodium salt of a sulfonic acid and maintaining the mixture at an elevated temperature untll Stratification takes place.

4:. The method of treating emulsions of mineral oil andwater which consists in adding thereto the water-soluble salt of sulfonic acid produced by the sulfonation of mineral oil and maintaining the mixture at an 'elevslzted temperature until stratification takes p ace.

5. The method of treating emulsions of mineral oil and water which consists in adding thereto the alkali metal salt of a sulfonic acid produced by the sulphonation of min eral oil and maintaining the mixture at an elevated temperature until Stratification takes place.

6. The method of treating emulsions of mineral oil and water which consists in adding thereto the sodium salt of a sulfonic acid produced by the sulfonation of mineral oil and maintamingthe mixture at an elevated FRANCIS- M. Rooms. 

